GRAND RAPIDS, MI - All of Chris VanTimmeren's friends knew he was a big fan of eclectic rock band The Avett Brothers.

Now The Avett Brothers know, too.

VanTimmeren, 40, of Rockford, died earlier this month following a car accident in Plainfield Township. In the wake of his death, VanTimmeren's father, Tom VanTimmeren, set up an education account to raise money for Chris' 5-year-old son, Josh.

News of the fund reached fans of the Avett Brothers, who call themselves the Avett Nation. They surprised Tom when they reached into their pockets to help.

In a recent blog post, Tom wrote, "We get cards, with donations for Josh’s education savings account, everyday from people who never actually met Chris physically, or only met him once, but their connection through Facebook and YouTube was enough to form a very strong bond."

"I came across a post about Chris VanTimmeren’s (who I only knew through Facebook) son Josh who is also one of our young Avett fans and once again was floored at the response from the fellow fans, the band and his loved ones when he was killed in a car accident," the post reads. "We all felt like we lost a family member…who we met on Facebook or some at a concert along the way. That didn’t seem to matter one bit though.

"I wanted to pass on this website stared by Chris’s dad to donate to Chris’s son Josh’s college fund and to keep up to date on Josh and our Avett fan and friend Chris’s legacy. Please check it out and be generous."

Chris is remembered as an avid music lover and musician who played banjo and guitar. The Avett Brothers were his favorite band, and he often performed their songs at open-mic nights. He often jammed with Josh, who plays drums.